RULES OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

ADMINISTRATIVE RULES 35 TO 61

Rule 61. New
Hampshire Circuit Court Judicial Certification Rule.

RSA chapter 490-F (effective July 1, 2011) created the New
Hampshire Circuit Court with three divisions: district, probate and
family. RSA 490-F:6 allows judges to be assigned to one or more divisions
of the circuit court and requires a judge to be certified by the supreme court,
prior to being assigned to a new division.In order to assure judicial quality in all circuit
court divisions, the following rule for judicial certification shall
apply:

(1) Active judges appointed to the
probate court as of June 30, 2011 are automatically certified in the circuit
court probate division, pursuant to RSA 490-F:6, IV(a).

(2) Active judges appointed to the
district court as of June 30, 2011 are automatically certified in the circuit
court district division, pursuant to RSA 490-F:6, IV(b).

(3) Active judges certified in
the family division as of June 30, 2011 are automatically certified in the
circuit court family division, pursuant to RSA 490-F:6, IV(c).

(4) A judge who has previously
been appointed and served as a judge presiding over certain case types may be
automatically certified in the corresponding circuit court division and assigned
by the administrative judge to hear only those cases until such time as the
judge receives appropriate training on the other case types of the division; for
example, a district court judge who has presided over juvenile matters in the
district court may continue to hear those cases in the family division until
further training on other case types; a probate judge who has presided over
termination of parental rights cases in the probate court may continue to hear
those cases in the family division until further training on other case types.

(5) Any active judge appointed
to the district court or probate court prior to June 30, 2011 may seek
certification from the supreme court in additional divisions within the circuit
court. Certification requests will be considered based on recommendations
of the circuit court administrative judge, who will consider the knowledge,
commitment to, and expertise of the judge in the subject matter of the
particular division to which the judge seeks certification.

(6) All judges appointed to the
circuit court on or after July 1, 2011 shall be deemed certified in all circuit
court divisions upon appointment.